History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 206

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354

USA > New York > Westchester County > History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I > Part 206

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

8. Robert Rutherford, who lived at Daveuport's Neck, New Rochelle. Hc married Hannah, daughter of William Edgar. They had children,-Catharine, who married Henry Phelps ; Annie, died unmarried ; Edgar, died unmarried ; Cornelia, unmarried ; and Helen, wife of Dr. Magill, United States army, who left no children.

9. Louisa, who married Edward Leroy, of Avon, Genesee County, N. Y. They had one child, Helen, now living in New York. She married Pinckney Stewart (deceased). Their children are Louisa, wife of James Keut, grandson of the illustrious jurist, and who is now a practicing lawyer iu New York ; Helen, who married - Kent; and Edward.

10. William H.

11. Charlotte, who married Richard Kemble, who has one child, Mary, now living iu New York.

WILLIAM H. MORRIS .- William H. Morris, the tentlı child and the sole surviver of the above family, was born August 3, 1810. In his childhood he at- tended school at Harlem, and afterwards at Blooming- dale, under the care of Dr. Davenport, from which he went to the school at Hyde Park, under the charge of Dr. Allen, and was subsequently a student at the Military Academy, Middletown, Conu. He returned home at the time of the death of his father, and under the charge of his guardian, Gerard W. Morris, traveled extensively iu Europe in 1831 and 1832. Returning, he married, in 1834. Miss Hannah, daughter of Thomas Newbold, of New York. Their children were James Staats, born 1836, died 1875; Augustus New- bold; and William H., who died nnmarried in 1852. Mrs. Morris died in 1842, aud Mr. Morris subsequently married Caroline, daughter of Caleb Halsted, of New York, who died in 1848. In 1850 he married Ella, daughter of Hugh Birckhead, of Baltimore. Their children are Angusta McEvers, wife of Frederick J. De Peyster, and Juliet B., who is now living with her father in Morrisania. Mrs. Morris died in 1881.

The greater part of the life of Mr. Morris has been spent upon his family estate at Morrisania, where he was for years extensively engaged in agriculture, which he conducted with great energy and success. During his long life he has seen the rural district of Morrisania become the thickly-settled ward of a great city, and the place where he now lives may be called the last relic of Morrisania, as it was in early days. The mansion, which stands upon an eminence over- looking the country round, was built by his father in 1816, and stands a few feet east of the site of a former house, built in 1795. In the family mansion, sur- rounded by the relics of the past, Mr. Morris passes the evening of his days in quiet aud dignified repose, and commanding the respect aud the confidence of the entire community .

Among other relics of days gone by are fine por- traits of Hon. Gonvernenr Morris, painted while min- ister to France; Colonel Lewis Morris, son of the signer ; and General Staats Long Morris.

AUGUSTUS NEWBOLD MORRIS, the only surviving son of William H. Morris, was born June 3, 1838. He graduated from Columbia College in 1860, and traveled extensively in Europe and the East, includ- ing the Holy Land, in 1864-66, and again in 1874-75, and the third time in 1882. He is identified with many benevolent institutions, and is a member of the executive committee and a liberal supporter of the Home for Incurables, one of the noblest institutions in the couuty. Prominent in the social and business life of New York, he is governor of the Union Club, and as the financial manager of large estates he commands by his integrity the respect and confidence of all who know him. His beautiful country place at Pelham was noted as the seat of elegant hospitality, and famous for the valuable horses and cattle raised under the care of the owuer.

Mr. Morris married Eleanor Colford, daughter of General James I. Jones. Their children are Newbold and Eva Van Cortlandt. Mr. Morris and his family are members of the Church of the Holy Spirit, of which he was warden for many years, and is now a member of the vestry.

His country-seat at Pelham has lately been taken as a portion of the New Park, and his present country residence is at Ridgefield, Coun.1

LEWIS G. MORRIS.

Lewis Gouverneur Morris, son of Robert Morris, and sixth in the line of descent from Richard Morris, the first settler of the name, whose numerous descend- ants have acted so prominent a part in the history of the country, was born at Claverack, Columbia County, N. Y., August 19, 1808, while his parents were mak - ing a visit there. His father, who had inherited an estate from his ancestors, was engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York, and the rest of the children having been provided for, it naturally devolved upon Lewis G., as the son of their old age, to remain with his parents upon the ancestral heritage .. To the care and development of this estate his time and energies were devoted, and under his skillful management the "Mount Fordham " farm became known far and wide, and his name was justly ranked as forcmost among the agriculturists of the State. His attention was early called to the necessity and advantage of improving the various breeds of domestic animals. With this end in view, he made repeated visits to Europe, at first in company with Mr. N. J. Becar, forming the acquaintance of the leading agricultorists of Great Britain, and returning to this country, brought with him the finest specimens of live-stock to be purchased in England. The rare valne of his imported animals was quickly known, and the public and private sales at Monut Fordham, which began in 1848 and continued for many years, were noted events and brought purchasers from every portion of the country, and cattle from this farm were sent to

1 The sketch of the Morris family was prepared by a friend.

Intemoning

a new bold Monis.

Il momil

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every State in the Union, and also to Canada, Cuba and the Sandwich Islands.

So greatly did these hierds improve, on this side of the Atlantic, that the owners of large estates in Eng- land seut agents who purchased at fabulous prices, and carried back to the Old World the descendants of animals which Mr. Morris originally selected and which had been so lately exported from their own shores. It is safe to say that the increased value of live-stock in this country, which is directly attribu- table to the various importations made by Mr. Morris, innst be estimated by millions.

One of the most important events in his life was his connection with the improvement of Harlem River and building of the High Bridge. At the time of constructing the Crotou Aqueduct, tlie commissioners had determined to carry the water across Harlem River by inverted syphous over a low bridge, with only one archway, eighty feet iu width. This at- tempt, which would have effectually destroyed the nav- igatiou of the river, met with the most determined op- position from the land-owners along its shores, and of this opposition Mr. Morris was the most prominent representative. To his far-seeing mind it was evident that the time must come when water communica- tions made by nature between the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, would, when improved by art, become the channel for a mighty commerce. From time immemorial, it had been a navigable arm of the sea, and Mr. Morris, with his neighbors, resolved to have it restored to its former condition. At that time the navigation of the stream was impeded, if not wholly destroyed, by Macomb's dam, constructed uuder an act of Legislature passed in 1813. This ob- struction to a navigable stream was, in the opiuiou of Mr. Morris and liis associates, a public nuisance, and a plan was forthwith formed for its abatement. Mr. Morris, at the request of his neighbors, liired a small vessel, owned by parties in another State (with a view of having the question brought before the Federal courts), and engaged the master to deliver a cargo of coal at his landing. The attempt of the vessel to proceed on her voyage being prevented by the dam, the company on board proceeded, on the night of September 14, 1838, to abate the nuisance by teariug down and removing a portion of the obstructing work. The suit-at-law which followed, in the case of " William Renwick vs. Lewis G. Morris et al.," was carried up to the Court of Chancery, and the final decision established the theory that Harlem River was a navigable stream, and any obstruction was a public nuisance liable to be abated by any one inter- ested iu the navigation. The constant remonstrance and persistent efforts of Mr. Morris and his associates to prevent the building of a low bridge over the river were at length crowned with success, and an Act of Legislature passed May 3, 1839, prescribed that the Aqueduct Bridge should be constructed with arches and piers of at least eighty feet span and a hundred

feet in height ; and the magnificent High Bridge is a lasting monument to their perseverance and energy.

Mr. Morris was appointed in 1840 inspector of the Fourth Division of Militia Infantry, with the rank of colonel, a position which he held till 1847.

In 1861 Mr. Morris was a member of the War Com- mittee, was appointed colonel of volunteers August 14, 1862, and was instrumental in raising the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment, kuown as the " Anthony Wayne Guards," later as the Sixth New York Heavy Artillery, aud which was afterwards commanded by Colonel (afterwards Brigadier-Gen- eral,) Wm. H. Morris.

Mr. Morris was president of the New York State Agricultural Society, and has been since 1850 a life member of the Royal Agricultural Society of Eng- land.

The estate of Mount Fordham is a portion of the old Manor of Fordham, was purchased by Lewis Morris, grandson of Richard, the first settler, and has descended to its present owner from his ancestors.

So much has been written concerning the distin- guished family of which Mr. Morris is a representative, that little remains to be said. The line of descent is : first, Richard, who came to this country in 1670; second, Lewis, boru at Morrisauia, in 1672; third, Lewis, Governor of New Jersey, as was also his father ; fourthı, Richard, who was judge of Admiralty uuder the crown, and the successor of John Jay as second chief justice of New York, and whose brother, Lewis Morris, was the illustrious signer of the Decla- ration of Independence; fifth, Robert, boru in 1763, and married Frances, daughter of Isaac Ludlam, of Goshen, Orauge Co. Their children were Richard ; Julia, wife of William B. Ludlow; Mary, wife of James A. Hamilton, son of the illustrious statesman; James L., who married Lucretia, daughter of Peter Crary; Francis W., wife of Thomas W. Ludlow ; Robert H. who was mayor of New York, recorder, and judge of the Supreme Court, and married Aun Eliza Munsou ; Wm. L., who married Mary E. Bab- cock; and Lewis G.

Mr. Morris married Emily, daughter of Jacob Lor- illard. She died in 1850, leaving two children,- Fordham and Francis,

Fordham Morris, the elder son, is a practicing law- ver in New York. He married Annie Louise West- cot, and had one child,-Emily Lorillard.

Francis Morris, the younger son, was educated in the United States Naval Academy, at Annapolis. He served in the late war and was present at the attack on Fort Fisher, rose to the rank of commander, and shortly before his death, which occurred February 12, 1883, was executive officer of the " Tennessee." He married Harriet H. Bedlow, and left two children, -Alice and Lewis G.

The family mansion at Mount Fordham, was built in- and greatly enlarged and improved by its pres- ent owner. The family portraits liere preserved

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

embrace a fine engraving of Lewis Morris, the owner of Morrisauia, and elegant paintings of his son Lewis and his grandson Richard, the Judge of Admiralty, attached to which is the hilt of his official sword; and also of Robert Morris, the father of the present owner of the mansion.

Shunning politics, and declining all offers of official preferment, Mr. Morris has beeu content to lead a life of quiet usefulness; and to all who have the honor of his acquaintance, he is known as one who is " worthy to bear without reproach, the grand old name of Gentleman."

JORDAN L. MOTT.

The ancestor of the Mott family, which has so many representatives in various portions of the coun- try, was Adam Mott, who was born in England in 1606 and came to Boston in 1636. He was chosen freeman in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1637, from which place he moved and settled at Newton, L. I., and afterward went to Hempstead. At the time of the English conquest, in 1664, he was one of the com- missioners for arranging the transfer of New Amster- dam to the English government. He died at Hemp- stead, L. I., in 1686, leaving a wife, Sarah, and six children-John, Adam, Joseph, Elizabeth, Nathaniel and Mary.

Of this family, Adam, the second son, was born in England in 1629, and came with his father to Amer- ica. His first wife was Phebe, whose maiden-name is unknown. After her decease he married Elizabeth, probably daughter of John Richbell, whose name was prominent among the early settlers of Westchester. He died at an advanced age, leaving fourteen chil- dren-Adam, James, Charles, John, Joseph, Gershom, Elizabeth (wife of Henry Goder), Henry, Grace, Richbell, Ann, William, Mary and Hannah (wife of John Seaman). The descendants of these are very numerous. Charles, the third son, was one of a com- pany of eighteen who, in 1719, emigrated from Hemp- stead, L. I., to what is now Rockland County, N. Y. where they purchased a large tract of land, and some of his descendants are still to be found in that region. Among the descendants of William Mott may be mentioned the famous surgeon, Dr. Valentine Mott, late of the city of New York, while James has many descendants in Westchester County.

Joseph, the fifth son, was the father of Jacob Mott, born August 9, 1714, and died October 6, 1805.1 He married Abigail Jackson, born November 18, 1720, and died ju 1781. They were the parents of eleven children-Joseph, boru October 18, 1736; Samuel,

May 31, 1738 (died young); Jackson, August 16, 1740; Isaac, May 6, 1743 (married Nancy Coles) ; Miriam, April 80, 1745 (died in childhood); Ruth, June 6, 1747 (she married Jordan Lawrence, and after his decease married Stephen Coles); Samuel I., February 9, 1753; Jacob, June 30, 1756; Miriam, September 7, 1759 (married Benjamin Birdsall) ; Richard, May 9, 1769 (he married, first, Polly Sutton ; second, Freelove Sutton); and Joseph, August 21, 1763 (who removed to South Carolina).

Jacob Mott, the eighth child of this family, mar- ried Deborah, daughter of Dr. William Lawrence, whose ancestor, John Lawrence, was one of the com- missioners who were appointed to arrange the bound- aries of New Amsterdam in 1664, and whose descend- ants are among the most prominent of Long Island families. Removing from Hempstead, his native vil- lage, to New York, he was for many years one of its most prominent citizens, and was elected alderman of the Seventh Ward from 1804 to 1810, and was presi- dent of the Board of Aldermen and deputy mayor of New York. Mott Street, in that city, was named in his honor. After a life of usefulness and credit, and vicissitudes as well, Mr. Mott died August 16, 1823, leaving a family of five children-William L., born January 16, 1777 (married Dorothy Scudder); Richard L., born June 6, 1782 (married Elizabeth Deal) ; Ja- cob L., born September 13, 1784 (married Hannah Riker and settled at Tarrytown, where he was a prominent preacher of the Society of Friends) ; Jor- dan L .; and Mary (wife of Ezekiel G. Smith).

Jordan Lawrence Mott was born at Manhasset, L. I., October 12, 1798, during a temporary residence of his parents at that place, to which they had gone on account of an epidemic of yellow fever in New York. The affluent circumstances of his father rendered his early life one of ease and leisure, and he in youth developed that inventive genius which has since mnade his name so widely known. At the age of fifteen he invented a machine for weaving tape, which was suc- cessfully operated, and from that time till 1853, when he retired from business, was constantly engaged in various inventions, and more than fifty patents are re- corded in his name. The business reverses which overtook his father rendered it necessary for him to engage in active labor for himself, and iu 1820 he commenced commercial life as a grocer. At that time cooking-stoves were a recent introduction, the fuel being wood, which was then plentiful, and Mr. Mott invented the first cooking-stove in which anthracite was burned as a fuel. The comfort and convenience caused by this invention can hardly be over-estimated and justly entitled him to the gratitude of the com- munity. The stove-castings were at that time made at blast furnaces in Philadelphia and were very rough. Mr. Mott built a cupola furnace and made his castings smooth and beautiful.

The stoves made at his works soon became popular, and the small foundry, which was situated in the rear of

1 Joseph Mott, " of Charlotte Precinct, Duchess County," who died in 1762, was probably a brother of the Jacob Mott, mentioned above. In his will, dated September 28, 1762, he leaves his farm, " Lot No. 3, in the Patent of Nine Partners," to his sons, Richard and Jacob. He mentions daughters,-Martha, wife of James Valentine; Jane, wife of Timothy Smith ; Elizabeth, wife of Sammel Smith ; Jemima, wife of John Con- non. He also mentions " My loving brother Jacob, of Queens Co., L. I."

MT. FORDHAM.' RESIDENCE OF L. G. MORRIS.

A VIEW FROM WEST PIAZZA, MT. FORDHAM.

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MORRISANIA.

his store on Water Street, in New York, was the begin- ning of the famous Jordan L. Mott Iron-Works, the productions of which are now sent to every country on the globe.

. The rapid increase of business led Mr. Mott to purchase an extensive tract of land at the northwest corner of the Manor of Morrisania, on the Harlem River, and adjoining the Harlem Bridge at Third Avenue, and upon this spot soon arose the populous village of Mott Haven. The foundry was at first of limited extent ; the buildings were of wood and twice destroyed by fire, but were each time rebuilt with greatly enlarged proportions. It is uarrated, as au il- lustration of the energy of Mr. Mott, that at the time of the second fire, while the firemen were endeavor- ing to subdue the flames at one eud of the building, a company of workmen under his direction were laying the new foundations at the other, and in nine days the business was resumed. With a premonition of the rapid growth of the city of New York, Mr. Mott, in company with Colonel Nicholas McGraw and Charles W. Houghton, formed an association to purchase a large tract in Morrisania and establish a new village.

An agreement was made with Gouverneur Morris, owner of the land, to sell a tract of two hundred acres for one hundred and seventy-five dollars per acre, which comprised lots from No. 16 to No. 23, inclusive, " as laid down on a map of Morrisania made by John Randall in 1816." This tract was surveyed and streets and avenues were located, and persons who bought lots received their deeds directly from Mr. Morris, the inheritor of the ancestral domain. The village this established is now the thickly-settled Twenty-third Ward of the city of New York.

Mr. Mott lived to see the business which he founded on a limited scale gradually increase till it beeame one of the largest establishments iu the country and the creations of his inventive genius have made his name a household word. During the administration of President Buchanan he was offered the position of commissioner of patents, but declined to accept. The Reformed Dutch Church at Morri- sania, which he built and presented to the people, will be a lasting monument to his name. After a life of active and untiring usefulness he died May 8, 1866, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

He married Mary W. Smith, who was born Sep- tember 6, 1801, and died December 24, 1838.

The children of this marriage were Mary J., wife of Matthew Dyckman Van Doran, whose children were Alice H., wife of Guy Fairfax Whiting, of Vir- ginia, and Amelia A., wife of General Edward H. Ripley, of Rutland, Vt., and Jordan L.

Jordan L. Mott, who is the successor to the busi- ness establislicd by his honored father, and which, under his care and skill, is continued with greatly in- ercased facilities, was born November 10, 1829. De- prived of a mother's care in early childhood, he knew little of home life, being sent to school in Tarrytown

at an an early age and finished his education at the University of the City of New York. The excitement that followed the discovery of gold in California led him to abandon college life, with the intention of seek- ing his fortune in that land of promise, and he wrote to his father, who was then in Washington, for his per- mission and assistance. Mr. Mott, with the practical shrewdness which distinguished him, made the follow- ing proposition to the young adventurer : " You can have the privations and the profits of a miner's life without going to California. You shall live in a tent in my garden, without seeing any of your friends or rela- tives, and holding no communications with them ex- cept by mail and at long intervals ; you shall do your own cooking and washing and mending. You will be deprived of all that now makes your life enjoyable, and in return I will pay you the average wages of a miner-about fifteen dollars a day. Or you can re- main at home in possession of the comforts you en- joy, with the prospect of succeeding to the business I have established."

When these two pictures were presented in such vivid contrast the young man was not long in mak- ing his decision, aud leaving the gold of California to be dug by other hands, he sought for wealth with equal energy, and doubtless far more success, in his native eity.

From that time it was the object of his life to es- tablish the works that bear his name on a firmer foundation, and increase their extent and capacity, and in the prosecution of this enterprise he has met with well-merited success. At the works at Mott Haven sixty tons of iron are now melted daily,- a vast increase, indeed, from the time when to inelt two tons on alternate days was their full capacity. Takiug an active interest in political affairs, Mr. Mott was elected alderman for the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Wards and was president of the board in 1879 and acting mayor of the city during the ill- ness of Mayor Cooper. At the conclusion of his terin of office Mr. Mott received an elegant testimonial, signed by the full Board of Aldermen, expressing their high appreciation of the integrity and ability with which he had performed the duties of his offi- cial position. He was also one of the trustees of the village of Morrisania. Being appointed a mem- ber of the Rapid Transit Commission he was noted by his activity in promoting one of the improvements of the day. Prominent in social circles and widely known in business affairs, he is justly considered a representative of the successful men of the great metropolis.

Mr. Mott married Marianna, daughter of James V. Seamen, of Westchester. Their children are Marie (wife of the late William MI. Olliffe, park commis- sioner of New York), Jordan L., Jr. (who married Katharine Jerome, daughter of Fay Purdy, of West- ern New York, and has one child-Jordan L., the fourth of this nanic) and Augustus W.

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HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

The old homestead built by his father in the early days of Mott Haven, and standing at the corner of Third Avenue and One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Street, still remains in his possession.

SAMUEL M. BIXBY.

Among the magic titles of the present day, noue has become such an universal household word as that of "Bixby," not alone iu this country, but in all parts of the world.

As a type of the American self-made business man, Samuel M. Bixby has secured a prominent position. He was born at Haverhill, N. H., May 27, 1833, and for many years past has been a resideut of Fordham, Westchester County, N. Y. Those who are familiar with his reputation for energy and force of charac- ter can readily see, from a brief history of his origin, which was coupled with an early New England edu- catiou, how he has been endowed with the elements that have made his success.

From a man so full of information, and so keenly alive to the bent of events transpiriug about him, it is not difficult to secure a fund of interesting matter that would be valuable not only to remote members of the Bixby family, but to people generally who have heard of him. Among the interesting memen- toes in his possession, of early New England days, is a rare " Book of Poems " (first published in 1650), by Anne Bradstreet, well remembered as the "Tenth Muse," or first American poetess, who is a grand- parent of Mr. Bixby through four generations.

The name Bixby is of Danish origin, and the American Bixbys are descendants from Danish, Eng- lish and Scotch blood. Few families can boast of an ancestry more notable for all the qualities that go to make up the characteristics that rank highest in American character. They are lincal descendants of the lords of Dudley, families prominent in English history, and thence through the families of Governor Thomas Dudley and Governor Simon Bradstreet and many others of the noblest pioneers of New England.

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History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I, Part 206

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co. Number of Pages: 1354

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898, ed
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.E. Preston & Co.
Number of Pages: 1354